


We Are Human

by humanitys_most_sarcastic



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Drama, F/F, F/M, Gen, M/M, Multi, Some Humor, Trigger warner: abuse, angsty, trigger warning: gore and violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-08-18
Updated: 2014-09-16
Packaged: 2018-02-13 17:41:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 20,314
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2159391
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/humanitys_most_sarcastic/pseuds/humanitys_most_sarcastic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>CanonVerse AU Eren has lived outside the walls his entire life with no idea they even existed. All he has left are the memories of his mother and father who disappeared when he was ten and somehow the ability to turn into a titan. But when he discovers a group of humans fleeing from titans he can't help but try to save the short man willing to sacrifice himself to save his comrades</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Alright so I've been working on this for a while now and really think you guys will like it. It's a lot different from my other ereri fic... a lot more depressing and crazy tbh but I had fun writing it sooo 
> 
> disclaimer I do not own Shingeki no Kyojin or any of the chrac

**Prologue:**

            “Carla! Pack your things quickly!” Grisha yelled as he stormed into their house, wearing the scouting legion uniform and looking absolutely frantic. He quickly began throwing things into large burlap sacks; pots and pans, clothing, rope, bedding, silverware and utensils, anything he could grab.

            Carla, who had been sitting on the couch after enjoying her lunch when he ran in, jumped; startled by his behavior. She quickly struggled to stand; maneuvering awkwardly due to her bloated belly and silently cursing the fact she still had another three months left in her pregnancy, before wobbling over to Grisha.

            “Honey, what do you mean? What’s going on?” she pleaded, cradling her stomach in her arms while he turned and shot her an exasperated glare. She shrunk back, for the first time fearing the man she loves and hating the look in his eyes, but he didn’t waver.

            “Damn it, Carla, for once just listen to me! We don’t have time for this! Pack your belongings, we’re leaving,” he instructed before reaching into the bag he had slung over his shoulder. “Be quick, and change into this,” he ordered, throwing a scouting legion uniform into her arms.

            Carla opened her mouth to argue, to ask questions, _anything_ , but Grisha was already gone, gripping two empty burlap bags as he stalked down to the basement, slamming the door behind him. She stood her ground for a few moments, debating her options, before quickly stripping and pulling on the tight uniform.

            Thankfully, even though she was six months pregnant, her stomach wasn’t _too_ big, allowing her to pull the stretchy material on, albeit a bit uncomfortably. She then grabbed the cape, pulling it around herself, hiding her belly before grabbing an empty bag and heading to the dresser that she stored all her clothes in.

            She stuffed as much of her clothes as she could, some of Grisha’s old, ratty attire into the bag, as well as some rolls of fabric, a sewing kit, and some of the baby clothes she had made for her unborn child. She couldn’t help but feel like they would not be returning to their home, so after filling her first bag with clothes and clothing material, she filled another with nonperishable foods, and a few canteens she quickly filled with water.

            Propping her two bags against the door, she went to the closet and pulled out the spare, roll-out futon and dragged the heavy mat to her bags just as Grisha emerged from the basement hauling the two bags, loaded to the brim, on his shoulders.

            “Are you sure you have everything?” he asked gruffly, while she nodded, tugging the straps of the uniform awkwardly. “Good. There is a carriage outside, lets load the bags,” he grumbled, grabbing the heaviest of the bags while Carla dragged the bag containing her clothes out with her.

            Once everything was loaded into the back of the carriage both Grisha and Carla seated themselves in the front while Grisha took the reins, snapping them and encouraging the horses to move forward. Carla sat quietly next to him, feelings exhausted and terrified. Part of her wanted to ask what was going on, but she stayed silent, fearing another one of Grisha’s outbursts.

            “Draw your hood up and keep your face hidden. Don’t say anything to anyone, just sit up straight, look forward, and make sure your cape hides the baby,” he commanded and she nodded again, following his orders.

            However, she could feel her heart drop when they turned the corner and she saw a line of horses, much like their own, some with carriages and some without, and all of them mounted by scouting legion soldiers. “ _What’s going on?!”_ she thought as Grisha steered them so they were lined up behind the other horses.

            No one seemed to take notice of them; they were all too focused on the gates ahead of them as they were pulled open by the stationary guard. Carla opened her mouth to say something, but Grisha shot her a menacing look, silencing her, before urging the horses forward just as the line began to make its way outside the walls.

            Carla could feel sweat pooling on her forehead, and she desperately tried to stop herself from shaking. To the other civilians watching, she looked like a soldier, nervous and terrified of going outside, but she was more afraid of what was going on with her husband.

            Why was he doing this? They had a wonderful life inside the walls. The people of Shiganshina love them. Not only was Grisha highly respected by the community, but everyone saw him as a hero for saving humanity from the plague that hit. Why was he throwing all that away and dragging her outside?

            When the gates closed behind them, Carla had to bite her tongue to stop herself from sobbing. She forced back the tears that desperately wanted to fall, and slowly stroked her stomach in the most inconspicuous way possible, hoping not to draw attention to herself. They continued following the scouting legion until they could no longer see the walls anymore, and Grisha pulled back on the reins, slowing the horses down before reaching into his shoulder bag.

            “Coat yourself in this. Make sure you cover all your skin, and saturate your hair with it. I know it seems disgusting, but bear with me, it will keep you safe,” he explained, handing her a jar full of clear blue slime before grabbing a second jar out of his bag and started coating himself with the goo.

            Carla wrinkled her nose when she opened the jar, the grotesque fumes invading her nostrils as she took a hearty handful of the stuff and began rubbing it on her neck, flinching when she felt how cold it was. When she finished covering her skin, she rubbed it into her hair, and for good measure, smoothed some of the slime over her pants, cape, and shirt. When they were both covered, Grisha told her to keep the jars open and on her lap, before veering the horse off course and turning left, galloping west towards the mountains.

            Thankfully none of the soldiers ahead of them seemed to notice their departure, and once they were about a mile away Carla finally lost it.

            “What the hell is going on, Grisha?! Why are we out here? Have you gone crazy?!” she screamed, tears spilling down her cheeks as she gripped the fabric of her shirt tightly trying to control her breathing.

            “I’m so sorry, Carla, it wasn’t meant to be this way, but we had to leave. You see I’ve been doing experiments involving Titans, and I was able to make a few discovers. For one, the substance we have covered ourselves with is the slime that coats the pellets the Titans regurgitate when they consume too many humans. The smell repels them due to the fact that the slime is actually stuns them, making it harder to regenerate, which is why they dispel the crystals immediately after the goo forms around it.

            “I also found a way to create a plant hybrid using this slime that excretes the smell of the slime, thus repelling them from the area. In other words, as long as we’re covered with this, or the plants are around, Titans won’t bother us,” he explained, smiling in a way that showed how proud he was of his work.

            Carla cringed, momentarily disgusted in the fact that she rubbed Titan vomit all over herself, but she quickly recovered. If it meant the Titans would stay away she really had no room to complain.

            “That’s great, but why do we have to leave? Isn’t that a good thing? It’s another weapon to use against them!” She exclaimed, noticing the irritated look the crossed her husband’s features.

            “That’s true, but you see, in order to experiment on Titans, you have to have permission from the commander of the scouting legion, permission I wasn’t granted. The bastards underestimated me. They thought because I was just some doctor I couldn’t possibly discover anything they couldn’t. I knew they were wrong, so I continued with my experiments anyways, and thank the Gods I did.

            “However, I couldn’t share my discoveries with anyone. If anyone found out what I had been doing I’d be executed for treason, which is why we had to leave. They started catching on, it was only a matter of time before they attempted an arrest,” he finished, griping the reins so tightly his knuckles were turning white.

            “But how do you expect us to survive out here? We have nowhere to live…” she whispered, petrified with the idea of her baby being born homeless in such a dangerous place. Grisha could sense her distress, and reached over, gripping her hand softly and rubbing her knuckles with his thumb.

            “Don’t worry, Darling, I’ve made preparations,” he simply stated, leaving it at that. They continued their journey in silence. Carla wept silently when she saw her first Titan, but just as Grisha said, it paid no mind to them; completely ignoring their presence. In fact, it actually appeared to turn away from them to try and avoid them.

            After a few hours the sun dipped below the horizon and Carla climbed into the back of the carriage and laid herself down amongst their belongings. The stress of the day’s activities was finally getting to her, and she no longer had the adrenaline to keep herself awake. So after finding a partially comfortable spot to lie down, she curled around herself, rubbing her stomach gently and hummed a lullaby until she fell asleep.

            Grisha, too, stopped the horses and allowed them to rest a few hours after Carla had fallen asleep, taking the opportunity to join his wife for a few hours of rest. When they awoke, the sun was high in the sky, letting them know it was around noon, so Carla quietly got some of the food and water she pack out of one of the burlaps sacks, and they quietly ate, gave the horses water, and then were back on their way.

            They repeated this for the next couple of days. Sleep, eat, travel, rest, eat, travel, rest, eat, then do it over again. Carla actually began to worry about their food supplies, however, on the fifth day of traveling; she woke up to Grisha already on the move, heading into a heavily wooded area that led straight into the mountain side.

            She couldn’t help but grimace when she thought about what he said before. “ _I’ve made preparations.”_ Were they going to live in a cave for the rest of their lives? Was she going to have to raise her child in the side of a mountain like an animal?

            However, after another hour of traveling through the thick forest, they finally broke through into a large clearing, causing her jaw to drop. In the middle of the clearing sat a small hut made of logs, rope, and what appeared to be mud. It was tiny, probably only eleven feet long and ten feet wide, but it was well crafted and would definitely make a good home for the two, soon to be three.

            Next to the hut, the ground was over turned, and she could see plants sprouting from the area, some she recognized as potato stems, carrot leafs, and even a few corn stocks. The clearing itself was mostly surrounded by the thick forest except for behind the hut, which was solid rock from the mountain side that stretched high above them, almost just like the walls back home. There was even a small stream of water that rain down the mountain side and emptied into a small creek that weaved its way through the corner of the clearing, and into the forest.

            However, what stood out the most were the silvery blue plants that thickly lined the edges of the clearing right next to the forest, and wrapped around the hut. _“I also found a way to create a plant hybrid using this slime that excretes the smell of the slime, thus repelling them from the area. In other words, as long as we’re covered with this, or the plants are around, Titans won’t bother us.”_

            “Oh my… Grisha, how were you able to do all of this?” she breathed, still shocked while Grisha urged the horses forward again, stopping them near the hut and tying them to a make shift post.

            “I haven’t been entirely truthful all the times I said I was traveling for business. I’ve been really coming out here to study Titans more. I made this hut just in case something like this were to happen, I wanted to make sure we had a safe place to go,” he explained as he began unloading the carriage, carrying the bags through what appeared to be a deer skin flap that covered the door.

            “And these plants? Are these the plants you were talking about that repel Titans?” she asked, hearing a muffled “yes,” from inside the hut while she too climbed out of the carriage. “They’re beautiful,” she remarked quietly before grabbing one of the bags and carrying it inside.

            The inside was simple and barren with only a fire pit in the middle of the small space that Grisha was currently tending to, sparking a flame to life with flint, a hand-made table, and some old furniture she had asked him to throw out a year or two ago; including, a dresser, a chest, a bedside table, and a bookshelf.

            “ _How long has he been coming out here?_ ” she thought as she moved to the chest, putting away the sewing kit, fabrics, and baby clothes. She then went to the dresser and continued putting away her and Grisha’s clothing while he went out and grabbed more of their belongings. Together they laid out the futon in one of the corners, and Carla was glad she decided to pack it when she noticed there only seemed to be an old, tattered sleeping bag in the hut.

             Carla continued setting up their new bed, layering blankets and other bedding material on the futon, while Grisha continued carrying bags in, and unpacking. He left the bag with food and water on the table, leaned the pots and pans against the wall, and emptied the utensils into one of the bedside table’s draws.  When they finished, Carla couldn’t help but note that the place seemed actually quite homey.

            The rest of the day went by uneventful. After they both bathed (a terribly cold bath in the creek which Grisha promised he’d do something about,) Carla busied herself by collecting water, and tending to the horses and garden, while Grisha worked on getting them some stumps to sit on around the fire and at the table. Carla actually began liking the idea of living out here, even when Grisha entered the hut holding two dead rabbits that he proceeded to cook over the fire and serve to her after skinning and cleaning them.

            As she laid down on the futon that night, curling into its warmth and watching the shadow of the fire dance on the wall, she thought she could get use to the idea. The only thing that bothered her was she never saw Grisha carry the two bags he brought from the basement into their new home.

            Three months after they left Shiganshina, Carla gave birth to a healthy son, whom they named Eren. The three of them lived happily, soon becoming blissfully unaware of the Titans. As Eren grew older, Grisha taught him simple things like how to hunt and start fires, and by the time he was eight he was successfully providing enough food to sustain the whole family.

            However, everything changed when Eren was ten. Carla was watching him play in the clearing, while sewing a new shirt for him while Grisha tended to the garden. Eren had been trying to reach into a tree for a pinecone and was becoming incredibly frustrated when he couldn’t reach it. Finally he tried jumping, which caused him to accidently bite his tongue.

            There was a sudden yellow flash, and Carla screamed when she watched smoke envelope the area her son had been, and when it finally cleared, taking Eren’s place was a large, seventeen meter class deviant Titan. Of course Carla began to panic, screaming for Grisha who immediately ran to Eren with an axe in his hand. He used the axe to chop at the base of the Titan’s neck, pulling Eren from the flesh that quickly started disintegrating.

            Carla, who had been watching in horror, realized that he husband knew exactly what was happening. She screamed at him, demanding answers, even after Grisha carried Eren, who was half asleep, inside, and laid him down on the futon.

            He tried to explain to her that Eren was more than fine. He was the ultimate weapon, a true master piece, but that only made Carla angrier when she realized this had been her husband’s doing. She demanded to know what he did, and he told her he had been injecting Eren with Titan blood, creating a strong, unstoppable soldier, and Carla snapped.

            She fled, running out of the hut, and into the forest, and Grisha of course chased after her while Eren watched before drifting to sleep. They never came back.


	2. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm posting the first two chapters today, but after that I'll try my best to post a new chapter every Monday. Enjoy!

**Chapter One: Eren’s POV-**

When I opened my eyes, I knew something was going to happen today. My common sense told me I just thought that because it was my eighteenth birthday, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that it was more than that. After all, I’ve lived alone out here for the past eight years, and every day has been exactly the same. Why would it be any different today _just_ because I turned eighteen?

            I tried to ignore the feeling, and instead went on with my normal routine. Get up, rekindle the fire, heat some water, bathe, get dressed, and get rid of the dirty water. Still couldn’t shake the feeling. Go outside, tend the garden and _other_ plants, refill canteens, harvest fruits and vegetables, and eat breakfast. _Still couldn’t get rid of it._

            I was starting to get irritated as I placed the basket full of produce on table, especially when I looked around the hut and had the intense urge to clean. The place was filthy, I couldn’t deny that; the floor was made of dirt after all, but it never really bothered me before. It’s not like anyone ever came to visit. As far as I could tell, there _was_ no one else.

            It’s been eight years since I saw another person, eight years since I watched my parents run out the door after an argument. I was positive they would return, and the three of us would continue living in this small hut like we have since before I was born, but minutes turned to hours, hours turned to days, and days turned to weeks, and I could only assume they were dead.

            Mother and Father always told me that without the plants outside, the ones the color of silvery blue topaz, there would be no way to protect ourselves from the other Titans. They drilled into my brain never to leave the clearing because the plants couldn’t protect me out there. However, sometimes Father would cover the both of us in this gross slime and bring me into the forest to help collect fire wood, and learn to hunt.

            The day they both disappeared, they left the clearing, and they didn’t put the slime on to protect themselves. At the time I didn’t think of it, I was far too exhausted and drained from the _incident_ , and I quickly fell asleep after. The next day, however, when I woke up to an empty home, I ran outside and screamed. I called for them for hours, screaming and crying and begging for them to come back. I did this for days before I gave up.

            Of course I blamed myself. I didn’t really understand what had happened to me, but my mother thought I was a monster, and she was right. I _am_ a monster. I’m a Titan in a human’s body. Mother always warned me about Titans and how they were cruel, and I knew they probably killed my mom and dad, and even though I’ve never eaten a human, I could pretend to be one and that’s even more terrifying.

            However, I eventually started blaming Father as well. He _did_ something to me. That much was obvious considering how my mother screamed at him after he cut me out of the burning flesh of my Titan. Everything that happened after that was really vague. I remember Father telling Mother he created the “ultimate weapon” and her demanding to know what he did to me, but the memories are hazy. All I can know for certain was my father, my own flesh and blood, turned me into an abomination.

            I had promised myself I would _never_ turn into a Titan again, but as the days went on, it was becoming increasingly harder to survive off the garden, and at ten years old, it was hard to cut down fire wood and haul it back to the hut, especially while covered in slime. It had gotten to the point where I was certain I was going to die if I didn’t do something. Part of me was okay with that. I was all alone, and some kind a freakish monster. The world would be better off with one less Titan. Even so, I didn’t want to die, so one day I went outside, and let instinct take over.

            As I got older, I learned how to control my transformations, and now I can shift whenever I want by biting my hand. I started out using my Titan form to hunt, which was incredibly easy, and I would just carry whatever game I caught in the palm of my hand all the way back to the hut.

            However, I also learned that collecting fire wood was a lot easier in this form as well, and while I tried staying “human” as much as possible, I’ve had to shift into my other form at least once a day so I could hunt, since keeping meat fresh was impossible.

            There were up-sides to the shifting abilities though. For instance, I could finally explore outside the clearing I grew up in, and that was something I’ve always wanted. I wanted to see the world outside, and I hated being confined, and I noticed that other Titans tended to leave me alone when I was in my Titan form.

            That was another good part about the shifting. I could fight the Titans. Ever since my parents disappeared, I’ve wanted to remove all the Titans from this world. As far as I was concerned (and I still am,) Titans were the enemy. They were the reason we were trapped in this clearing, and they were the reason I was alone.

            Snapping myself out of my thoughts, I once again let my eyes scan the inside of the hut before sighing, and standing up. The feeling that something was going to happen was still there, and for some strange reason, I had the intense urge to clean everything, so I pinned the door flap up, letting the sun in, and got to work.

            There really wasn’t much I could do, but I did what I could. Washing the bedding, and taking the futon outside, beating it, and letting it air out. Cleaning the fire pit and using the broom my mother made out of a large stick and dried tall grass to sweep all the loose dirt and dust outside, and finally, boiling some water, and dampening a rag so I could wipe down all the surfaces in the hut.

            It didn’t really take long, and the place still looked the same, but for some reason I felt a little more satisfied. So after bringing the futon back inside, and remaking the bed with the now dry blankets and deer hides, I decided it was about time I go hunting for tonight’s dinner.

            Stepping out of the hut, I couldn’t help but grimace at the plants surround me. In my human form, they didn’t bother me. I couldn’t even smell them actually, but my Titan form was a different story. When in that form that smell absolutely atrocious, and made me was to run as fast as possible. It was no wonder why the Titans wouldn’t come near them. I realized rather quickly that Titans weren’t smart. They didn’t even appear to know how to think, so it was only expected that when they did smell the plants, they didn’t think twice about turning in the other direction.

            Sighing, I walked forward so I had more room to work with, and quickly bit into the flesh of my hand, allowing the bright yellow light to consume me. At this point the sensation of shifting was familiar. The heat, the tight, sticky feeling of being wrapped in red hot muscle tissue; however, I could never get use to the weightless rush that passed through my body as my brain took control of its new appendages. It felt amazing; empowering even, but I couldn’t help but want to rip myself out of the neck as fast as I could.

            Quickly getting over my euphoria, I pushed myself forward, stumbling out of the clearing before I could even take a breath. “ _Don’t breathe in yet. **Don’t** breathe in yet! **Don’t breathe in yet!** ”_

I breathed in, and immediately felt like vomiting. It was still as putrid as ever, so I broke out into a sprint, running as fast as I can until breathing became bearable.

            _“God dammit, I did it again,”_ I tried to say; frowning when I remember this form couldn’t talk. _“Force of habit,”_ I mused to myself, before pushing forward again. It didn’t take me long to make my way through the forest, and once I was out, I shrugged my shoulder a bit and continued walking forward.

            As always, I saw various sized Titans wobbling around, stumbling over their own giant feet, and as always, they left me alone. However, I frowned when I noticed how many were in the area. That meant the chances of finding any deer or rabbit around here were low, so I’d have to go looking for a new area to hunt in.

            Walking away from the forest, I casually made my way forward, opting to take my time since I really wasn’t hungry and it was a beautiful day out. Also, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy the view from up here.

            I kept walking, looking for any sort of wild life, and had probably been traveling for around three hours when I finally saw what looked like a herd of deer in the distance.  Frowning, I noticed around eight or nine Titans running closely behind them, as if chasing them.

            That didn’t make sense though. Titans didn’t care about deer, so what was going on? As I got closer, however, I noticed that they weren’t deer, but…horses? But what was that on top of them? Straining my vision, I gasped, catching the air in my throat when I finally was able to see them clearly.

            _“H-humans? B-but, I thought there weren’t any left?! Look at them all! But wait, I know that uniform. Mother and Father both have one hidden at the bottom of the chest. And those carriages look like the one next to the hut. I can’t believe there are other people! Where did they come from?”_ I thought, freezing where I was as I watched in horror as the Titans started catching up.

            One of the humans seemed to notice this too; a male with dark, ebony colored hair towards the front of the group. However, I wasn’t expecting him to suddenly stand on his horse’s saddle, pulling out what looked like two blades from a large, bulky metal contraption at his hips.

            He turned to the group of Titans, yelling something at the brunette woman next to him that apparently was upsetting, because a scream ripped through her throat just as he suddenly jumped up. I expected him to drop harshly on the rider behind him; however, instead, what looked like metal ropes shot out from his hips and attached itself from one of the Titans.

            Suddenly he was right in front of them, slowing them down as he weaved between the group of beasts, yelling things at them that caught their attention. Soon enough the rest of the humans were forgotten as all of the creatures dumbly tried to grasp the human, who was just too fast for them all.

            _“He’s using himself as bait to distract them so his friends can get away?!”_ I thought; eyes wide as I watched him desperately using the scarce number of trees to attach to and pull himself away from the Titans, creating an impressive distance between them. It actually seemed like he was going to make it to the near-by forest and get away, but suddenly the rope jerked, and went slack, causing him to fall roughly into the grass below him.

            I flinched when he fell on one of his swords, the blade ripping open his side, staining the white shirt red as his head collided harshly with the ground. However, he still stumbled into a standing position, ripping the blade out and gripping his injured side as he stared at the Titans quickly approaching.

            My chest tightened, and something inside me snapped.

            I don’t want him to die.

            _I don’t’ want him to die._

_**I don’t want him to die!**_

Without even thinking about it, I began racing towards him, my heart beating heavily in my chest. He wasn’t going to die. Someone so heroic and amazing didn’t _deserve_ to die. “ _I will save him!”_

When I was finally close enough, I let out a murderous roar, causing the Titans to falter, but the human didn’t notice. Instead, he turned around, his eyes training on me as he glared. I was slightly aware that he screamed something, probably assuming I was going to eat him, before closing his eyes, but I ignored it, keeping my eyes focused on the closest Titan as I pulled back my clenched fist and let it collide with its face.

**Levi’s POV-**

            We weren’t going to be able to out run them. That much was clear. There was also no chance of fighting back due to the amount of injured soldiers that easily outnumbered the amount of soldiers still capable _of_ fighting, which was far too low to take on nine Titans. _Dammit._

            Clenching my jaw, I looked back, seeing all the terrified, tear stained faces of my comrades. I wouldn’t let all these people die. Slipping my feet out of the stirrups, I effortlessly stood on my horse’s saddle, turning so I was facing the oncoming threat with my blades in my hand.

            “No matter what happens, lead everyone forward back to the walls. Don’t turn around, and don’t you dare stop! That’s an order!” I yelled at Hanji, whose head snapped up to look at me. I didn’t wait for her to reply before I jumped, using my 3D maneuver gear to grapple onto the closest Titans shoulder, sending me soaring towards them.

            “LEVI!” Hanji screamed, but kept moving none the less. I effortlessly weaved between the idiotic creatures, managing to confuse and distract them from my fellow soldiers. They immediately slowed down, all turning their attention to me as they tried to grab at me but with no luck.

            “What? You disgusting dumb fucks aren’t smart enough to catch me? How fucking unfortunate!” I taunted, scowling at the giants. Once I was certain the others were far enough away, I immediately shot towards one of the few trees that littered the land. If I was lucky, I could easily maneuver my way to the closest forest, and I already created a large gap between me and my nine pursuers. I was actually getting my hopes ups that I would survive when my maneuver gear sputtered, and the steel cable jerked.

            _“I’m out of gas?!”_ I nearly yelled, cursing as I started falling to the grass below. I felt a searing pain in my side, and my vision went white when my temple smashed into the hard dirt. After blinking vigorously, I was able to clear my vision and register the blade lodged into my side. I let out a vicious growl as I ripped the blade out of my flesh, wincing and gripping my side as I dragged myself back to my feet.

            The Titans were catching up quickly, and I finally realized this would be it. I was going to die. I couldn’t help but smile bitterly. At least I would be with my other fallen soldiers. I’d finally be free, and heaven better be fucking spotless, and Titan free.

            However, just as I was about to accept defeat, a loud, angry roar erupted from behind me. Turning, I saw a seventeen meter deviant type Titan sprinting towards me with what looked like murder in his eyes. Growling, I forgot my resolve to die peacefully and turned the rest of my body towards the new Titan, keeping my arm pressed to my wound as I clenched my fist. My vision was starting to blur slightly, definitely proving I had a concussion, as I forced myself to hold my ground.

            “Fine then you filthy bastard! Come at me!” I challenged, screaming at the creature before squeezing my eyes shut. I was going to die kicking and screaming, that much I was sure of, but that didn’t mean I wanted to see myself get eaten. _“I’ll be with you all soon,”_ I sent out a silent pray to all my fallen comrades, their images flashing through my mind just as the Titan reached me…

            …and ran past me, completely ignoring my presence.

            My eyes snapped open and I turned around (a little too quickly) just as the deviant Titan slammed a fist into one of the other Titan’s jaw. It stumbled back, falling into the other Titans before all of them turned their attention to the deviant, obviously seeing it as a threat.

            The fight broke out immediately, but something was different about the deviant. It wasn’t just swinging and biting at its opponents blindly like the other Titans, but instead, it seemed intelligent. It bobbed and weaved, avoiding as many hits as possible, before striking with determination and precision, albeit a bit sloppily. It actually reminded me of my own fighting skills back when I was a brat on the streets. It seemed to have natural, fighting talent, just without any proper training.

            _“And it’s protecting me…?”_ The idea itself seemed ridiculous, but whenever one of the Titans (now there were only seven and a half) tried to move past him, and refocus its attention on me, the deviant would immediately grab it and throw it further away before turning around, its gaze briefly falling on me as if to make sure I was still alive.

            Despite being convinced that the deviant planned to devour me once the other Titans were dealt with, I wanted to continue watching the fight. There was something strangely magnificent about the deviant, and the way it moved. Its body was hard with muscle, unlike most Titans that looked like fat middle-aged men, and lean; allowing it to move fluidly with amazing strength that actually made each hit cause the other Titans head snap back.

            _“I sound like Hanji,”_ I thought bitterly, however, my vision began fading again, blurring around the edges before slowly going black as I started swaying. I could feel blood seeping down the side of my face, and my shirt was now completely saturated in the blood that was pouring out of my side and dripping down my leg and onto my shoes.

            My legs buckled, and I gracelessly crumbled to my knees before fully falling onto my uninjured side, the pain now fully consuming me. I could barely see, but I tried to keep my eyes open as I watched the deviant take down the final Titan. Finally, it turned back to me, and I could have sworn I saw alarm flash through its green eyes before it slowly, and dare I say gently, reached for me.

            However, another wave a pain rolled through me, forcing my eyes shut, as I drifted into unconsciousness, and the last thing I remembered was being surrounded by warmth.


	3. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Well here's chapter 2! hope everyone likes it!

**Chapter Two: Levi’s POV-**

            I was convinced I was dying. What else could hurt this much? That was an exaggeration, I knew that, but it felt like I was on _fire_.

            At first, it literally felt like someone threw me into an oven and left me to burn, and I knew I was screaming and cursing at the unknown force, but I didn’t care, because as far as I knew I was in some disgusting Titans stomach right now. That would explain the heat after all.

            However, after what seemed the eternity the burning faded and I noticed that sensation was actually was centered around the injury on my waist. Unfortunately, I managed to exhaust myself by screaming, and probably thrashing around, so before I could even open my eyes, I fell unconscious again.

…

            Once I came to, I was certain that I was finally dead. There really was no other explanation. I wasn’t in any pain, and everything around me was warm and soft. I could see red dancing behind my eyelid, and the smell of burning wood, one of my favorites, invaded my nostrils.

            What had convinced me that I was dead and in heaven, though, was the sound of the most angelic voice I’ve ever heard softly humming a lullaby somewhere not far from me. The song wasn’t familiar, but without a doubt beautiful, and the voice easily lulled me back to sleep as I curled into the warmth surrounding me.

…

            Unfortunately, my little fantasy was shattered when I woke up the third time.

            I suppressed a groan as I came back into consciousness only too hear the angelic voice again, but this time, it was singing.

            “ _There is a wildfire inside you, a burning desire you can't extinguish. Your crimson arrow rips through the twilight. This is the moment for war."_ _  
_

            The soft tenor rang out from somewhere around me, and that, on top of my uncomfortably dry throat, made my eyes snap open as I sat up.

            I immediately regretted the action when my head split in pain, and white hot lights flashed in my vision. Groaning, I resisted the urge to double over and closed my eyes, waiting for the pain to ease and the brightness to fade. When I was sure the pain wouldn’t get any duller, I carefully opened my eyes and examined the room around me.

            I saw I was carefully tucked in on a futon, covered in blankets and deer hides to keep me warm in some sort of hut. The hut was small and made out of logs, and I could see a scarce amount of furniture scattered around the small space. A chest, a dresser, a bed side table, a table that was obviously hand-made, and a few tree stumps that surrounded a decent sized fire pit.

            Besides all that, the hut was empty, causing me to wonder where the singing was coming from so I tried to stand, but a wave of nausea rolled over me causing me to curl into myself. The sensation, however, quickly made me remember what had happened before I passed out. The exhibition outside the walls, the Titans, and leading them away from the group so they could escape. Running out of gas, hitting my head, and landing on my sword... My eyes immediately snapped to my side, noticing for the first time that I was shirtless. I searched for the wound, which should have been a bloody mess and painfully sore, but instead, I saw a fully healed scar that was white against my already paled skin.

            “What the fuck…” I muttered, my brow pulling together in confusion. How long was I unconscious? My thoughts were immediately interrupted when the deer skin mat that covered what was obviously the exit was pushed aside revealing a teenage boy carrying a basket of fruits and vegetables.

            He didn’t seem to notice me at first, because he went about with his business, placing the basket on the table as he continued humming to himself. The sound was smooth and peaceful, and immediately dulled my headache, which made me recognize him as the angelic voice I kept hearing. Unable to repress a soft sigh, I let my gaze linger on the brat and take in his appearance.

            He was handsome. His teal green eyes shined with innocence, but I could see hardness in them, and his messy brown hair was shaggy with bangs that stopped just above his eyebrows and parted naturally in the middle. His tan skin was smooth and unmarked and lean with hidden muscles that flexed whenever he moved, causing them to ripple in a way that made my mouth slightly dry.

            _“Hn, not bad,”_ I thought appreciatively. Besides Erwin and Hanji, not many people knew of my sexual preference to men. After all, being in the military didn’t really leave much time for relationships, and I was in no way interested in any of the idiots in the Scouting Legion in that way. The last time I had any sort of “romantic” relationship had been before I joined the military, and even then they didn’t mean anything. However, as I turned my attention from the teen’s appearance to what he was wearing, I wrinkled my nose and grimaced.

            His clothes were too big for him and obviously old considering how tattered and grungy they looked. His shirt was a plan, long sleeved green cotton shirt with string tassels at the collar that showed off his neck and collar bone. The sleeves were pushed up to his elbows and the skin on his hands and forearms were speckled and smeared with dirt, probably from working in a garden or something.

            His pants were plan brown trousers, the hem torn and frayed, and considering how disgustingly filthy his feet were, I doubted he ever wore shoes. I frowned just as he turned; his eyes immediately making contact with mine.

            He let out a choked yelp, nearly jumping out of his skin, which caused him to stumble back and trip over the leg of the table which sent him flying back, his arms flailing as he landed roughly on his ass. “ _Tch, dumb brat.”_

            “Ow, ow, ow. Dammit, that really hurt,” he muttered, pulling himself off the floor and rubbing his bruised tail bone. I couldn’t help but find the action amusing, but I scowled at the boy. Not only did I want answers, but I was becoming irritable due to the return of my headache.

            “Oi, Brat, who the hell are you, and where the fuck am I?” I asked harshly, causing the boy to jump again as if he wasn’t use to such language before straightening up and holding his arms stiffly at his sides.

            “My name is Eren, E-Eren Jaeger. You’re at my, uh, my house,” he explained, walking over and extending his dirt stained hand towards me in an attempt to be polite. I sneered at the appendage, nose subconsciously wrinkling in disgust while he chuckled nervously and instead used the hand to scratch the back of his head awkwardly. I glared at him as the headache got worse, my mouth forming a hard line. Who does this sassy little shit think he is giving such a half-assed answer?

            “S-sorry, I’m not really good at this. This is the first time I’ve met another person besides my parents. I’m still kind of shocked that there are other people out there, not that I’m complaining or anything,” he rambled, smiling slightly, and even though I didn’t really hear him, I narrowed my eyes anyways. “I’m just really glad you’re awake. You were pretty badly injured when I found you. I was worried I had been too late,” he muttered sincerely, a frown taking place of his smile, and I briefly felt a pang of guilt in my chest for being so hard on the kid.

            “How long have I been unconscious?” I asked gruffly laying down and, rubbing my temples in an attempt to ease the pain. Concern flashed in his eyes and he was immediately up again, grabbing a pot full of water from the table and carrying it over with a rag in his hand. Seating himself next to me on the floor, he dampened the cloth in the water before gently laying it over my eyes and forehead, forcing me to repress a shiver when I felt his fingers softly graze my temple and the tops of my cheeks.

            “Only about a day; you had only just lost consciousness when I got to you,” he suddenly announced before shuffling to his feet while I peeked under the cloth and watched as he grabbed another pot full of water and balanced it on a rock close to the fire. He then used an old knife to cut up carrots and other vegetables and throw them in the water, and then topped it off by adding what looked like cut up raw venison, creating some kind of stew. Frowning, I sat up again, causing the cloth to fall to my lap.

            “What? That doesn’t make any sense. Last time I checked right before I passed out I pulled a fucking sword out of my side,” I growled, suddenly irritated while my gaze flicked subconsciously to the scar that now decorated my side.

            “Well yeah, that’s why I put Titan blood on it,” he stated innocently, using a wooden spoon to stir the stew while my face contorted in horror.

            “You put _Titan blood_ on me? Why the fuck would you do that? That’s disgusting!” I yelled, causing him to flinch, and I noticed hurt flash in his eyes. The stupid guilt came back, along with another painful reminder of my headache, but I pushed the feelings back and instead focused on how many showers it would take to feel clean again.

            “W-well I didn’t want you to die, so I thought you wouldn’t mind…” he muttered softly, not making eye contact while I stared blankly at him. When I didn’t say anything, he finally glanced up at me and must have noticed the confusion in my eyes, because his own brow pulled together in confusion. “You know… because Titan blood has healing properties?” he offered hesitantly.

            I stayed quiet, trying to take in this information. Part of me wanted to believe him, after all, what reason did this kid have to lie? At the same time, however, how could a brat like him know something that Hanji didn’t, or anything about Titans for that matter? He continued to stare at me, and as if he saw my internal debate, he hummed tunelessly before snapping his fingers.

            “Ah! Uh, hold on,” he exclaimed suddenly, standing up and walking over to the bed side table and pulling the draw open so he could sift through its contents. “Here, I don’t know if this will help, I’m not actually sure what it says in there since my father never taught me how to read, but I think these are some of his notes,” he explained, handing me a notebook.

            I stared at him for a little longer before snatching the note book from his hands. I swiftly opened it, flipping to the first page before finally tearing my gaze away from the shitty brat. I began reading while Eren silently tended to the fire, adding wood and occasionally stirring the stew. However, I was immediately absorbed by the contents of the journal. Whoever this Grisha Jaeger had been, he knew more about Titans than even Hanji, and he found out the healing properties in Titan blood when he accidently spilt the substance on an open wound he had recently received.

            Of course it had been a hypothesis, so he tested his theory, cutting his arm before coating the wound in the blood. He explained a terrible burning feeling, one he compared to sticking his arm into an open flame, and he recorded that by the time the blood evaporated, the burning had faded completely and the wound was gone. I immediately remembered the pain I had been in when I first woke up, and how it centered around my wounded waist; easily putting two and two together.

The notes said that the blood itself burnt skin, and I knew that was true from all the times I’ve cut the monsters down. The sensation I felt earlier, however, was a lot more vicious, and the journal explained that it was due to the fact that the Titan blood was _forcing_ your flesh to grow back at an abnormal rate.

            Another discovery he made was the slime that covered the crystalized pellets the Titans regurgitated actually repelled the monsters. His test for this was sneaking outside the walls with the scouting legion and coating himself in the stuff before just sitting and waiting. It described how the Titans around him would start to approach, but the minute he put the shit on they would actually turn away and leave.

            He then started describing these plants he created that succeeded in doing the same thing. But a specific note stood out to me. _“I planted these plants all around the edge of the clearing that surrounded the hut during the last expedition outside the walls.”_

Lifting my gaze from the pages, I starred at Eren and watched as he continued cooking the meat, a small smile gracing his features as he absentmindedly hummed softly under his breath. The words I accidently ignored earlier finally rang clearly through my head.

            _“S-sorry, I’m not really good at this. This is the first time I’ve met another person besides my parents. I’m still kind of shocked that there are other people out there, not that I’m complaining or anything.”_

            Everything started to click. His grungy clothes, the reason he didn’t wear shoes, his “half-assed” answer when I asked him where we were. I narrowed my eyes when I realized I made an ass out of myself when he had only been being honest. I never even stopped to think that “my house” could be the only answer he had.

            “How long have you been living out here, Brat?” I asked cautiously, keeping my voice low and even while his attention snapped back to me, a confused frowning gracing his features.

            “Ever since I was born,” he answered honestly, drawing out his words slowly like he thought I couldn’t understand, or was too stupid to. When I shot him an irritated look, however, he chuckled before turning back to the stew with a gentle look in his eyes. “My parents lived with me up until I was ten. Something happened and they got into a fight, and they both left. I haven’t seen them since, but that with eight years ago so I just assumed the worst,” he explained, his eyes becoming hard and distance.

            I could tell he was holding back information. The guilt in his eyes said more than they were meant to, but I didn’t push. I was honestly impressed. This kid, this shitty eighteen year old brat has survived on his own for _eight_ years when some of the scouting legion troops could barely survive a few hours, and he didn’t even have any type of weapons. But of course I would never tell him that.

            “Tch, I guess you’re not a complete dumbass after all,” I mocked, smirking slightly while he frowned, his lips pursuing in annoyance. However, before he had time to respond, the water, which had been slowly rising, boiled over, exploding into steam while he cursed, shielding his face.

            “Hmph, so much for that,” I scoffed, but for some reason I couldn’t help but think fondly of the stupid brat. I barely knew the kid, and I was very much aware he was hiding something, but he was interesting, and I’m positive he would’ve shot back a smartass remark if he hadn’t been attacked by steam. Not only that, but he probably risked his life to save my ass, and the image of the deviant Titan flashed through my mind.

            I leaned against the wall and attempted to piece together what happened after I passed out. I had been at that Titan’s mercy, not only was I incapacitated, but there was literally no one else around, and it was _right there_. Had this kid killed the fucker?

            Eren, however, pulled the pot away from the fire before carefully serving the stew into two bowls, placing a silver spoon into one of the bowls and bringing it over to me, along with a canteen.

            “It’s just water, I figured you’re probably thirsty,” he explained, and I wordlessly accepted his offerings after realizing how hungry I was. The stew was a little bland and tasteless but it wasn’t bad considering his limited resources, and considering how hungry I was, I definitely wasn’t complaining. Especially when I realized he had given me a much larger helping in comparison to his own.

            However, as I lifted another bite to my mouth, I examined the intricate design on the spoon handle and paused. The silver was still shiny, and looked fairly new, and I realized the bowl, also, was in wonderful condition. In fact, looking around the hut again everything looked to be in good condition. After I realized he had been living out here his entire life, I assumed his he and his parent’s must have gotten the supplies from abandoned towns outside the Walls, but if that was the case, all this furniture would be decrepit from over one hundred years of sitting there, wasting away.

            “So tell me, where does a brat like you get all this stuff?” I asked, gesturing around the hut with my spoon, causing him to look up from his bowl, a piece of carrot sticking out of his mouth. He hastily swallowed the food in his mouth, taking a quick drink of water from his own canteen before shrugging.

            “I’m assuming it came from wherever _you_ came from,” he stated, while I raised an eyebrow. Setting his bowl down on the floor, he got up and walked over to the chest, in the corner and dug around in it until he pulled out two Scouting Legion uniforms. “I found these not long after my parents disappeared. I was a kid then so I didn’t really think anything of it until I saw you and the people you were with wearing the same thing,” he explained and I nodded.

            So his parents knew about the Walls, and even lived there. But why would they abandon their life there to come live alone out here? Also, if they were in the Scouting Legion wouldn’t they have 3D maneuver gear?

            “That’s the Scouting Legion uniform. I’m actually Lance Corporal of that branch in the military. Our job is to go outside the walls and learn as much about Titans as we can so we can defeat them. Were your parents in the military?” I asked and he considered it, sitting cross legged on the floor and leaning against one of the stumps. His brow furrowed slightly, creating a small dent in between his eyebrows, and he pursed his lips together slightly.

            “Nah, I don’t think so,” he decided, before pointing to my own set of (useless) 3D maneuver gear that had been stored under the table. “I noticed that the group you were with all had their own metal thing, and my parents never had something like that,” he reasoned, and I decided I’d find out who Grisha Jaeger was when I got back to the Walls.

            “I just don’t understand… obviously there are other people living out there, wherever this wall you keep talking about is, and obviously my parents use to live there, so why did they come out here? Wouldn’t they want me to live in a place with other people? What’s it like?” he suddenly asked, a distant look in his eyes while I frowned.

            “I don’t really understand that one myself, but it’s not like wonderland or some shit like that. We’re basically trapped inside the Walls, like livestock, just waiting for the Titans to attack again,” I scoffed, but my eyes softened, images of Hanji, Erwin, Petra, Auruo, Erd, Gunther, and all the trainees flashing through my mind. “But the people, even though they’re fucking annoying… they’re good people,” I finished, remembering Hanji’s face right before I left to distract the Titans.

            “It sounds like you really care about them,” he said, and I looked up and saw him smiling fondly at me, his eyes warm. I stared at him for a while, before smirking slightly and finishing off what was left in my bowl.

            “Yeah…I guess those idiots have grown on me.”


	4. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys enjoy the chapter (this ones one of my favorites!)

**Chapter Three: Levi’s POV-**

            After that, we didn’t speak too much. I got lost in my own thoughts trying to figure out how I’d get back to the Walls without becoming some ugly monsters snack, and Eren seemed to understand that I wasn’t up for conversation because he started cleaning up the mess from dinner. He even made his way outside at one point and brought in my cape, freshly washed and dry.

            I  _did_  feel bad ignoring the kid. He hasn’t been around other humans in so long, and when he finally finds another one, he happens to draw the short straw (no pun intended) and gets an unsocial jackass like myself. He didn’t really seem to mind however. Every once and a while he would go off to refill my canteen, and ask how my head was feeling (unfortunately Titan blood can’t cure concussions) before going back to grinning to himself as he hummed the tune of the song he had been singing when I woke up.

            Night came quickly, and I laid myself back down on the futon, closing my eyes in an attempt to fall asleep. It stayed like that for a while, him humming softly and me just lying there, listening and slowly falling asleep to the sound until he stopped. Peeking through lidded eyes, I watched as he let the fire die down to embers, before walking to the chest and pulling out an old, tattered blanket.

            Opening my eyes the rest of the way and turning my head, I observed quietly as he laid himself down on the dirt in the corner before covering himself with the blanket. He squirmed slightly, unknowingly pouting, before laying his head on his arm like a make shift pillow and closing his eyes. Part of me was content on leaving him there, but another part, a much  _larger_ part, couldn't get the adorable pout out of my head and hated the fact the kid was uncomfortable.

            “Oi,” I called out and he jumped before sitting up and turning his body to look at me. The red embers allowed me to see the outline of his face and his wide, beautiful eyes, and I could also see that he looked quite startled and confused.

            “I-I thought you were asleep,” he confessed, and I briefly wondered if he was blushing, but wrote it off as the glow from the embers. I kept my face indifferent, gazing at him coldly before letting out a small annoyed sigh and shifting so I was closer to the wall.

            “There’s no reason for you to sleep on the floor just because I’m here. There’s plenty of room here,” I said, my voice seeping with annoyance, while he gaped at me. He started shaking his head and opened his mouth to argue, but I silenced him with a glare and watched in amusement as he swallowed his words and nodded.

            He moved quickly, slipping under the blankets and keeping himself as close to the edge as he possibly could without sliding off. I nodded, laying my head back down and closing my eyes. It wasn't long until I felt his eyes on me again.

            “Goodnight, uh, Corporal,” he whispered suddenly, and I realized for the first time that day that I never gave the kid my name. Again, I debated whether or not I should leave it as is or not, however, just as he began to shift an re-position himself I opened my eyes.

            “Levi,” I nearly blurted out, just managing to make it sound nonchalant while gazing into those teal green eyes that now stared dumbly back at me in a way that told me I was going to have to be more specific. “My name is Levi,” I elaborated, rolling my eyes and suppressing a smirk.

            “Levi…” he mumbled, before suddenly beaming at me, his eyes sparkling excitedly. “Goodnight… Levi,” he corrected himself, his tone proud like he just accomplished a miracle. I scoffed, this time unable to stop myself from smirking slightly, before closing my eyes. I felt him shift again so he was facing me, curling into the blankets while I let out a silent, yet content, sigh.

            “Night, Brat.”

…       

            When I woke up the next morning, I expected to see Eren sprawled out next to me, probably drooling all over himself as he slept, but instead I was greeted with an empty room. However, the fire was already lit, and a big wooden tub (another hand-made item, albeit a well put together one) was now in the room, filled with water.

            I stood and noticed for the first time some clothes folded neatly on the futon beside me where Eren should have been. It was a simple white button down collared shirt, probably from one of his parents stolen scouting legion uniforms, and black slacks that, while old, looked like they’ve never been worn before.

            Walking over to the tub of water, I touched the liquid and noticed it was hot, and actually had steam rising from the surface. I didn't even try to hide my surprise that not only did this kid actually bathe, but took the time to prepare water for me, and thank God he did because I felt disgusting.

            Stripping off my pants, I let myself sink into the hot water, a soft sigh escaping my lips as my muscles relaxed slightly. Part of me was a little annoyed there was no soap, and that I wouldn't be able to thoroughly clean myself, but considering how lucky I've been the past few days, this was just fine. I’d have plenty of time to bathe when I got back to the Walls.

            However, the thought made me frown. Of course I knew I’d have to go back eventually. I was humanity’s strongest, the military needed me, but looking around the hut, I didn't really want to leave. It was so calm and peaceful here; I felt I could actually relax, and spend the rest of my life here.

            I knew better than that though. It wasn't the hut that had me so enamored with this place; it was the brat that came with it. Somehow I became fond of Eren in the short amount of time that I’ve known him. Never in my life have I met someone so innocent, yet at the same time old beyond his years. Looking at him, it was obvious he’s never  _seen_  death, or experienced the hardships I have, but he’s definitely seen the world for the cruel place it is, and he’s obviously seen something he wishes to forget.

            I wanted to know more about him. I wanted to spend time with him, and have him by my side, and I  _couldn't understand why._  He's just a teenager, just barely over the bridge to adulthood. Granted he's fucking gorgeous, incredibly giving, and his kindness is a breath of fresh air, but he's still just another brat.

            I sighed again, this time in annoyance because I knew that was wrong. Eren wasn't just another brat. There was something in him, a fire that I had yet to witness and a heart of gold.

            “That’s enough of that,” I muttered, as I finished cleaning myself in the now lukewarm water. Looking around, my eyes fell on a ratty towel that had been placed on the table, so I grabbed the fabric, briefly using it to dry my hair before stepping out of the bath and wrapping it loosely around my hips. It was about time I stopped thinking about the brat and did something productive.

            I quickly changed into the clothes left out for me, leaving the top three buttons of the shirt undone and glaring at the pants when I realized they were much too long, before my eyes fell on Grisha Jaeger’s journal. Another reason I had to go back, I now had information that was crucial for humanity’s survival. Picking up the journal, I held it up, staring at it while putting my other hand in my pocket.

            “Ah you’re up!” I suddenly heard, and looked towards the door to see Eren standing there, smiling but looking a little fatigue. “I was worried the water would get cold before you woke up,” he explained, chuckling to himself and scratching the back of his head.

            “Where have you been? You look like shit,” I pointed out, causing him to tense as he grinned sheepishly. Looking more closely, I could see his eyes were bloodshot and tired, and his skin looked a little red, like he had been out in the sun too long.

            “I was hunting,” he said honestly, shrugging his shoulders before stretching his arms upwards. “I was able to get a deer, but I’m just a little tired from carrying it back.” The last part was a lie, I could tell, but I didn't press any further.

            “Hn,” I responded, letting suspicion seep into my tone before turning back towards the journal. “Eren, did your father have any more of these journals? Any more information about Titans I can get will only further assist the military’s fight for humanity,” I explained, and I swear I saw disappointment and fear flash through his eyes before he nodded.

            “Yeah of course, I’ll do whatever I can to help,” he stated firmly, his fear and disappointment replaced with burning determination. He immediately starts searching through the hut, pulling different journals out, and when he’s done, I have three in my hands, including the first one which focuses almost entirely on the Titan blood.

            I start from the beginning, pulling a stump over to the wall next to the table and sitting down, my back leaning against the wall with my elbow resting lazily on the table. Eren does the same, sitting diagonal from me, but instead starts cutting up fruit and putting it in a bowl.

            We sat like that for a little while. He sometimes asked about what I was reading when my expression changed, and I would explain it to him. Every time he’d reveal that he already knew that, and would then tell a story that involved the fact. The big points on the journals, however, were simple:

1.)    Titan blood heals flesh wounds when applied to the injury.

2.)    If mixed with food and eaten, it cures illnesses, including some severe ones.

3.)    If mixed with water and boiled, the steam cures headaches.

4.)    If mixed with water and poured on plants it acts as an amazing fertilizer.

5.)    The slime that covers the crystal pellets they regurgitate is extremely flammable.

6.)    They rely on their sense of smell more than anything.

7.)    The colder it is, the weaker they are.

8.)    If their heads are covered they are momentarily stunned.

9.)    They can’t feel pain.

            It also went into details about the slime that covered the pellets the Titans threw up when they consumed too many humans. Grisha admitted in the journal that his theory about it repelling Titans had been more of a guess than anything. He simply assumed that the stuff  _had_  to have some type of negative affect on them because, if not, why didn’t they just crack the pellets open and re-eat the humans inside considering that was their only real goal?

            Besides that, he really didn’t have any more information on the slime until he started generating his own plants. Eren, however, did know something about the pellets his father didn’t.

            “Yeah it’s weird. I’ve seen them throw up the stuff, watching that is gross by the way, but I’ve never actually went over and checked it out, but I did follow a Titan after it regurgitated once. It kinda walked away until it was pretty far from the crystal, about the width of the forest outside actually, before it just stopped. It didn’t move for hours after that, I actually thought it might have fallen asleep, but I realized it was actually just really weak.

            “The downside though, was when it did start moving again it seemed stronger, and when I saw it again a few weeks later it was bigger. It took a few years but I realized that the more they throw up, the bigger they get,” he finished explaining while I grimaced.

            “That means they get stronger the more humans they eat…” I muttered, cursing under my breath while he looked at me, obviously confused. “Titans throw up the crystals when they eat too many humans, so if what you’re saying is true, a Titan who throws up more, which means they eat more humans than the others, get stronger and bigger, which means we’re nothing but steroids to those mother fuckers,” I growled while Eren paled slightly.

            “I didn’t even think of that…” he muttered; his eyes sad and fearful, before hardening in determination once more. “I’ll make sure to tell you everything I know so your military can exterminate the Titans!” he suddenly promised, his fists clenched tightly and I briefly wonder why he looks like a criminal about to admit to a crime.

            He pushed a bowl of cut up fruit and a fork towards me, grabbing his own afterwards. I quietly started eating, motioning for him to continue while he nodded.

            “I don’t really know where to start. I’ve been out here so long; I’ve seen a lot of stuff. Um… oh! They’re weaker at night. In fact, a few hours after dusk they’re basically immobile and just stand around. The smaller they are the more useless they are once the sun goes down.

            “It seems like the more sunlight they get, the stronger they are. For example if its cloudy they’re more sluggish, and like at night, how much it impairs them depends on how big they are. I also noticed that they won’t go near water; it’s almost like their afraid of it. When it rains they usually just find a tree to stand under or something and wait there until it stops.

            “I also found out that if you’re covered in mud, they won’t really pay attention to you. When I was sixteen I covered myself in mud and climbed up one and it didn’t even notice I was there until after I cut the nape of its neck,” he explained, laughing slightly at his story and intriguing me even more.

            “You’ve actually killed Titans before?” I asked, and he nodded fidgeting slightly under my gaze. “I’m impressed,” I finally said after a few seconds, and he physically relaxed, shoving a fork full of fruit into his mouth.

            “There isn’t really much to do out here, so I started training so I could fight them. They’re the reason I’m alone out here, if they didn’t exist my mother would still be alive, she’d be safe, everyone would be. I usually go out and fight them whenever it rains, or it’s cloudy. The crystal, once you can actually cut it, makes a great spear head. It’s sharp, and even if you miss the kill spot it stuns them because it’s basically a solid version of the slime,” he said, his eyes becoming distant again as he retreated into his thoughts.

            I, on the other hand, was shocked. This kid was full of surprises. Not only has he survived out here for eighteen years, but he’s done it while  _fighting_ , and with only a spear on top of it. He was valuable. He knew more about Titans than anyone inside the Walls, and he knows how to fight them without 3D maneuver gear, something that's been unheard of. Also, his own anger and the loss of his mother fueled his spirit, giving him a reason to fight, and I could tell he’d be an excellent soldier. Yes, he would make an amazing soldier, and I told myself that was why I wanted him to come back with me, not just because I wanted to be around him.

            “Eren, I want you to come back to the Walls with me,” I suddenly blurted out, pushing my bowl away and resting my chin on the back of my hand. He sputtered; choking on the food he was eating and started coughing. I continued to stare at him, waiting for him to finish while he desperately grabbed a canteen and started chugging the water in an attempt to clear his windpipe.

            “W-what?!” he finally exclaimed, breathing heavily through his mouth while he stared at me with wide eyes. I on the other hand just leaned back, crossing my arms over my chest, and nodded.

            “Not only do you have information about Titans that is incredibly useful, but you’ve trained yourself to fight and kill Titans without the aid of 3D maneuver gear which is unheard of where I’m from. You’d make an excellent soldier and tool towards humanity’s victory. Besides, like you said, Titans are the reason you’re out here alone, so why not come back with me? You won’t be alone and together we can eradicate them all,” I explained, keeping my expression blank while he stared at me, mouth gaping.

            “T-together?” he muttered, and I watched multiple emotions flash through his eyes. Hope, happiness, pain, guilt, anger, despair, and then finally defeat as he looked down into his lap. “As much as I would love that… I can’t,” he mumbled before looking up and forcing a sad smile. “Titans don’t belong inside the Walls.”

_“Wait…what?”_  I thought, staring at him as my brow slowly pulled together in confusion and annoyance. “What are you going on about, Brat?” I nearly groaned, narrowing my eyes at him while he looked away.

            “I don’t belong inside the Walls, Levi. I’m not human, I’m a Titan,” he murmured, just loud enough for me to hear.

            “ _Oh you’ve got to be fucking kidding me. He’s crazy. He thinks because he lives out here he’s a Titan by default. I should’ve known better. No one can live alone for eight years and be sane. I swear, I’m fly paper for freaks,”_  I mentally cursed, clenching my hands into fist to stop them from twitching in annoyance.

            “Right… aren’t you a little…  _small_ … to be a Titan?” I hissed, and his eyes snapped back to mine, glaring at me; the fire flashing defiantly in a way I haven’t seen yet.

            “You’re one to talk, Shorty,” he bit back, catching me by surprise but I immediately glared at the boy for making fun of my height (or lack of). “I know you think I’m crazy. It  _sounds_  crazy, but I can prove it,” he said quietly, suddenly meek and nervous.

            He stood, and without waiting for me went outside, forcing me to follow. I stayed standing in front of the door, while he walked forward until it was halfway across the clearing before turning around.

            “Just… don’t freak out, okay? I have complete control, I won’t hurt you or anything, so please; just don’t kill me,” he pleaded, fear evident in his eyes while I scoffed and folded my arms over my chest.

            “Yeah alright, just hurry up,  _Titan,_ ” I said sarcastically, rolling my eyes while he took a deep breath. He widened his stance, planting his feet firmly on the ground and bent his knees before lifting his right hand to his mouth.  _“Kid sure puts on a show_ ,” I thought just as he bit down on the base of his thumb, drawing blood.

            Yellow lighting suddenly erupted from the spot he had been standing before imploding into a large cloud of steam. My eyes widened dramatically, eyebrows shooting up in shock, but I managed to keep the rest of my face expressionless as I froze, my arms falling to my side.

            I didn’t even blink as the dust and steam cleared, revealing a very large, very real  _Titan_  where Eren had been standing. Not only that, but it was the same seventeen meter deviant that had protected me only days earlier. Said Titan whined, softly and gently in its throat, before lifting its hands, palms forward in surrender and green eyes pleading silently; resembling the eyes of a lost puppy.

            However, looking past those green eyes I saw the fire that was un-mistakenly Eren’s and my mind, which had been previously blank, exploded into a frenzy of thoughts.

            He had been telling the truth. He wasn’t crazy. He  _is_  a Titan.  _What the fuck is going on?!_  Images of all the Titans I’ve ever killed flashed through my head. What if they were like Eren? What if they were  _people?_ God I think I’m going to be sick…

            My brain suddenly felt like thousands of pounds of pressure was crushing down on it, drilling into my skull mercilessly. My ability to make sense of things all but flew out the window as I stared at the form in front of me, nausea bubbling in my stomach on top of my unbearable headache.

            As if seeing my discomfort, the Titan quickly, but gently laid down on his stomach, making sure to maintain the distance between us. Its eyes suddenly became lifeless, and the nape of its neck started to release steam, the flesh splitting as Eren nearly dragged himself out, throwing his head back in a way that would have been sexy as hell if I wasn’t freaking the fuck out.

            And just as suddenly he was in front of me, his eyes shining with worry; the Titan body disintegrating behind him. He stayed a few feet away, and I noticed he was talking and trembling violently. His eyes looked tired, but the fear and concern radiating from them was overpowering

            “-orry Levi, I shouldn’t have showed you. God I’m really sorry. Are you okay? Shit, you look like you’re going to be sick,” he rambled, and I clenched my jaw, shutting my eyes tightly, my eyebrows pulling together as I massaged my temples with my fingers.

            “Jesus, Eren, just… just shut the fuck up for a second,” I growled and he immediately stopped talking. Taking a deep breath, I opened my eyes and gazed at him while he waited for me to say something. “Are they all like that?” I finally asked, but he just looked at me, confused. “The Titans, Eren, the Titans! Are you telling me that all the Titans I’ve killed actually had  _people_  inside them?” I yelled, balling my hands into fist while he stared at me, shocked.

            “N-no! I’ve checked, and so far I’ve never found another Titan that was controlled by a human,” he insisted, and I instantly relaxed. I knew I should probably still be freaking out. The kid could turn into a  _Titan_  for God's sake, but looking at him, I didn’t see him any differently. Sure it was a shock, I could never fathom anything like this being possible, and I should probably see him as a threat, but I just couldn’t.

            …I need to sit down.

            Turning swiftly on my heels, I pushed my way back inside the hut, planting myself firmly back where I had been sitting at the table, putting my elbow on the surface and leaning my head against my hand. The dull lighting was already a drastic improvement, soothing the pain in my head slightly.

            After a few minutes, Eren hesitantly poked his head in the door way. He looked positively crestfallen, like his world had just come crashing down and I immediately felt terrible for being the cause of his grief. He shrank back when he met my gaze, and I let out a quiet sigh.

            “Stop standing there staring and come sit down,” I finally said, gesturing towards the other seat at the table. He jumped on the invitation, but made sure to sit as far away from me without moving the chair as possible by leaning away and angling his body to create more distance.

            I didn’t really know where to start. I wanted to know more, hell I wanted to know everything. Despite my pounding headache, I needed to know how someone could go from a seemingly normal teenage boy, to a seventeen meter tall  _giant_  within a matter of seconds. Looking at him though, I could see he was trying to keep himself together and be strong, his eyes betraying him however; showing just how hurt and afraid he really was. I quickly realized how my reaction must look to him. He probably thinks I’m going to reject his existence or curse him, and then cut him down.

            That wasn’t true though. Titan or not, my opinion of him didn’t change. He's still the slightly naïve, clumsy, determined brat that saved my life, took me into his home and cared for me. The details of the rescue may be different now, but that doesn’t change the fact that he risked his life to save a complete stranger.

            “I still want you to come back with me,” I said firmly, my eyes boring into him. His eyes widened, and I could see hope forming in them, but he still looked terrified. However, his raw emotions were quickly replaced with anger as he glared at me.

            “What are you saying?! Didn’t you just see for yourself? I’m a Titan! Titans are monsters! They don’t belong around humans.  _I_  don’t belong inside the Walls. I don’t even deserve to be  _alive_! I’m not human!” he screamed, standing with his fists clenched tightly. Pain flashed briefly across his face before he dropped his head. “It’s my fault my parents are dead,” he confessed, his voice barely above a whisper as his shoulders trembled.

            “Well excuse me for having a hard time believing that,” I bit back without hesitation causing his eyes to snap up to meet mine. “Look, shitty Brat, I don’t know what you did or didn’t do, and I don’t know exactly what you are, but as far as I am concerned you’re still human,” I growled, my tone shocking him as his hands relaxed completely.

            “And I also know you’re not a monster. Monsters don’t have dedication like you do. They don’t grieve the loss of loved ones or feel regret about things they’ve done. They don’t reveal copious amounts of information even though it may lead to their death for the sake of people they didn’t even know existed. And they sure as hell don’t risk their lives to protect and save a stranger from nine Titans!” I continued, and I could see his eyes start to water, tears streaking down his shocked face.

            “You don’t realize it, Eren, but you have more humanity in you than most of the humans back inside the Walls.  _That’s_ what makes you human,” I finished, and he trembled slightly before squeezing his eyes shut and furiously swiping at his tears with the sleeve of his shirt.

            Once again, with his head bowed forward and his free hand tightened into a fist he looks a lot older than an eighteen year old should. He looks so worn out and tired, like he had been carrying the world on his shoulders for his entire life. However, at the same time he looks much more vulnerable; like a young child again, confused and alone, and I realize he’s probably so use to hating himself and must have been holding these emotions in for years. This is probably the first time he’s cried since he lost his parents.

            Even still, I could see a change in him. He doesn’t look up or open his eyes, and he still looks angry and broken, but he looks lighter. And when he opens his mouth, he sounds happy, relieved even, and truly hopeful even though his voice cracks as he’s shaken by another sob.

            “T-thank you, Levi.”


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four: Levi’s POV-**

“Levi… can I ask you a question?” Eren finally asked, glancing at me from his spot by the fire pit. After his emotional outburst and my “speech”, he immediately excused himself and went outside. I thought about going after him, but I decided against it. I had made my point already, and if he needed time to himself, I’d let him have it.

            He came back about a half an hour later with more venison meat and began cooking it slowly over the fire, but the entire time his eyes were distant, obviously lost in his thoughts. After about ten minutes, nature called and I excused myself, but reclaimed my seat when I came back, opting to skim through one of the journals again while carefully watching him from the corner of my eye until he spoke.

            “You just did, Brat,” I responded, gently placing the journal back onto the table before fully turning to face him. He glared weakly at me, his lips pinching together slightly while he rolled his eyes. “Yeah, fine. Go ahead,” I finished, and he turned back to stare at the fire.

            “Are you forcing yourself to accept me just because I saved you?” he asked softly, his eyes saddening and I felt the need to beat my head against the wall. How much did it take to convince this kid that I didn’t have a problem with him?

            “Kid, if I didn’t like you or didn’t want to accept you, I wouldn’t care if you fucking cut off you limbs for the sake of replacing mine if I lost them, you’d still know how I truly felt about you. And if I really did think you were a monster, you wouldn’t be alive right now. No one guilts me into anything,” I stated harshly, eyeing him sternly while he turned and looked at me with wide eyes.

            Suddenly, he broke out into a small smile and _laughed_ ; the sound reverberating throughout the hut. He sounded so relieved and happy, part of me wanted to punch him in the face. How could he go from gloomy and brooding to sounding so carefree in a matter of seconds?

            “That really was a stupid question, huh? I don’t know what I was thinking. I doubt anyone could force you to do anything, even if you are so short,” he chuckled, peering at me with those innocent fucking eyes to gauge my reaction while I glared at him.

            “Say that again. I fucking dare you,” I hissed causing him to laugh again, a fist coming up to cover his mouth slightly while his bright eyes crinkled at the edges. This only made me glare harder because as much as I wanted to hit him, I couldn’t because he was so fucking adorable.

            “There’s… there’s just one thing I don’t understand,” he started, stumbling over his words as he tried to cease his laughter. “When I told you I put Titan blood on you, you freaked out. How can you accept me if Titan’s disgust you so much?” he finally asked and I scoffed.

            “A lot of things disgust me, Kid. You could’ve told me you poured the blood of Christ on me and I still would’ve wanted to punch you in the face. Do you know how filthy and unsanitary that is?” I asked, wrinkling my nose and shuddering while he lifted an eyebrow in amusement.

            “How did you even get Titan blood in the first place? Do you keep jars of that shit lying around? Even Hanji has trouble gather that shit because it evaporates so fucking fast,” I asked, while he grinned sheepishly and looked away, turning his attention back to the meat. I frowned, immediately understanding how stupid that question was. Of course the kid didn’t have jars of Titan blood lying around. He had his own unlimited supply. “Right. Fucking lovely.”

            He was silent for a few minutes, his eyes glazing over again as he retreated into his thoughts. When he finally did look at me, however, his face was somber and I wondered briefly if I offended him.

            “I didn’t kill my parents. I know it kinda sounds that way since I said it’s my fault their dead, but not in that way,” he explained, and when I didn’t say anything he continued. “It happened when I was ten. I don’t really know what happened, but I had been reaching for something and bit my tongue. I remember a flash of yellow but that’s it.”

            “Next thing I know I’m being cut out of my Titan’s neck and carried by my father while my mother was screaming at him. They brought me inside and put me in bed, and she kept yelling at him. I don’t really know what they were saying, but I was able to catch Father saying something about me being the ultimate weapon. She ran out after that, and he followed her. I never saw them again.

            “When I woke up, I was disoriented and confused, but I remembered their fight and that they left, so when I couldn’t find them I stood outside and yelled for them. I never heard a reply, and after a week, I stopped hoping they’d come back.

            “I told myself I’d never turn into a Titan again, but after a while it was becoming hard to live off the little garden outside, and hunting at ten years old wasn’t easy. As much as I hated the idea of being a Titan, I didn’t want to die.

            “I couldn’t really control the Titan at first, it was hard, but after a few tries I had complete control. It made hunting and gathering wood a lot easier, and I was able to try and fight back against the Titans too. Sure I could do that as a human, but as a Titan I could take on more at once, and if it meant destroying them all for good, I was willing to keep transforming,” he explained, clearly upset by the memories.

            “I don’t see how any of that is your fault,” I finally said, but he didn’t look at me. “Obviously your father did something to you, the question is what?” I muttered and he shook his head.

            “I don’t really know. I don’t really remember anything before that day. I can only recall bits and pieces,” he mumbled, his brow furrowing in frustration. I watched carefully as multiple emotions flashed in his eyes. Pain, anger, fear, and shock all washed over his features before settling back on fear and quickly being replaced by determination. “I remember a cave though.”

            “Do you know where the cave is? Maybe something there can give us more information,” I suggested, and he paled slightly but nodded.

            “Y-yeah I think I can find it,” he said, sounding a bit uncomfortable, and I wondered if this was a good idea. However, as much as I didn’t want to force him to revisit unpleasant memories, I knew this was too important to ignore, and he seemed to understand that too.

            “Then we’ll search for it after we eat,” I decided, and he nodded before turning back to the fire. After he finished cooking the venison, he cut it up and we ate in silence. I was trying to imagine what we would find in an attempt to prepare myself, while Eren continued to sit by the fire and stare into it. He seemed troubled, and I wondered briefly what he was remembering whenever he’d reach up and grip his left bicep, or subtly look down at one of his limbs.

            I could tell he was pushing himself. He didn’t want to go near this cave. I could see in his eyes, which displayed his emotions like an open book no matter how hard he tried to conceal them, that he was afraid of going back. I could only imagine the terrible things that may have happened to him there, yet his eyes were still determined, bent on his promise to tell me everything that could help exterminate the Titans.

            I was actually considering putting this off. It’s not like I _really_ had anywhere to be. Of course I would have to return to the Walls eventually, and I was definitely taking Eren with me when I did, but it’s not like anyone is expecting me to come back. Hell they probably already threw me a funeral. Maybe I should give Eren a few days to calm himself. It might make the whole thing easier on the brat.

            However, I failed to notice he had already cleaned up dinner and was standing in the door way looking utterly committed to go outside and find this cave. His brow furrowed slightly, but his eyes didn’t waver in the slightest as he stared expectantly at me.

            “Are you ready?” he asked calmly, and I noticed an old looking lantern in his grip, and cringed when I saw instead of burning oil, it was burning Titan vomit. I quickly pulled on my abandoned boots and stood, eyeing the offending lantern.

            “Yeah, just… keep that shit away from me. That’s disgusting,” I grimaced, causing him to grin slightly before pushing the mat aside and allowing me to go outside. At least it didn’t smell like anything…

            “Yes sir, Corporal Levi, sir!” he mocked, causing me to narrow my eyes while he chuckled. “If you’re disgusted by so many things why’d you join the military?” he asked, leading me behind the hut towards the side of the mountain while I shrugged.

            “It’s amazing what killing things does for your temper issues,” I stated sarcastically, not particularly wanting to dive into my past, but then I remembered he was being forced to do that right now when he had blissfully forgotten it all. “I use to be a criminal, kind of a gang leader. We would steal maneuvering gear and use it to sneak outside the Walls to kill Titans, and break into nobility houses in Wall Sina.

            “We were striving for the whole ‘Robin Hood’ gag. Steal from the rich, give to the poor, but eventually we all got caught. The commander of the Scouting Legion took a shine to me though, he admire my skill and determination to fight, and wanted me to join his ranks.

            “I told him no fucking way. No one tells me what to do after all. But he told me that if I didn’t we’d all be turned over to the Military Police and they’d no doubt execute us all. I didn’t give a shit about what happened to me, but I couldn’t do that to the others so I agreed. Been in the military ever since,” I explained, and he stared in awe at me.

            “Wow, that’s… that’s amazing,” he stuttered, his eyes shining in admiration while I shrugged. “It must be hard being forced into something like that,” he murmured, and I couldn’t help but smirk.

            “Yeah, you’d think, right? But I’m actually grateful to Erwin. Sure I was pissed at the time, but he let all of the gang members go without a hitch, and gave me a sense of purpose. I went from being a thug living on the streets to humanity’s strongest soldier. It’s because of him that we all got out alive. I would’ve been screwed otherwise,” I admitted, feeling a little uncomfortable with how _easy_ it was to tell him all this.

            “Well, I can’t wait to meet him. He sounds like some kind of hero,” Eren blurted out suddenly, causing my eyes to widen when I realized he was accepting my offer to come back with me to the Walls. “What are you going to tell him about me?” he asked hesitantly and I thought about it for a moment.

            “I’m going to tell him the truth,” I stated firmly before looking at him. “We’ll need to keep your ability a secret, but we will have to tell Erwin and Hanji. Hanji is our scientist who studies Titans, so she’ll need to know everything you’ve told me and more, but besides that no one else should know. If the Military Police find out they will try to kill you, and that’d be a pain in the ass so we should just avoid that all together. I know Hanji and Erwin will agree,” I explained and even though worry flashed in his eyes, he nodded.

            “Alright, I trust you Levi,” he said genuinely, smiling at me while I grunted in response and tried to ignore how damn attractive the brat was. When we reached the mountain side, however, his brow furrowed again and he frowned.

            “So where do we start?” I asked hesitantly, not wanting to overwhelm him while he bit his lip, something flashing in his eyes as he turning towards his left.

            “Follow the plants,” he muttered, before pushing himself forward while I followed. We walked towards the edge of the clearing against the mountain side, and sure enough, the minute we stepped into the forest there was a line of silvery blue plants lining the edge of the mountain and creating a path of sorts.

            “Not bad…” I stated lamely, but Eren just pushed forward holding the lantern up to light the way. I followed behind him as we walked in silence desperately wishing I knew what he was thinking; while at the same time knowing it was better that I was left in the dark. Part of me wanted to try and comfort him, but what could I possibly say? I couldn’t protect him from memories.

            We walked for about an hour, Eren pushing forward at a brisk pace while I followed closely behind. I was beginning to think we should have waited until morning when I finally noticed a hole in the mountain side.

            “Is that it over there?” I asked, while he nodded mutely. “Are you sure you want to do this right now? We can come back later…” I trailed off, but he shook his head.

            “No it’s alright. I need to know what’s in there,” he murmured, and I considered telling him it was probably better if he didn’t know, but decided against it. We calmly walked to the entrance and found another lantern placed conveniently on the ground, so after lighting it we both started making our way inside.

            The cave itself was small and narrow, weaving its way deep inside the mountain and judging by the echo we made whenever we took a step forward, it would be a while before we found anything. Eren stayed quiet leading the way, and I was tempted to tell him more about the Walls to distract him, but when I looked at him I saw he was already absorbed in his own thoughts.

            Eventually the ground shifted to an incline, but we pushed forward anyways, and after twenty or so minutes I could finally see the cave start to expand into a larger space. From this distance, even though it was dark, I could see a definite shape in the middle of the cavern, and my gut twisted when I saw that it seemed to resembled a coffin and the air smelt like rust and decay.

            “I think I remember what this is. I think Father used to come here to continue his experiments without Mom knowing,” Eren explained, his voice calm, but he pushed ahead of me before I could see his face. Following him into the area, I used all my military training to prepare myself for whatever we might find.

            Nothing could have prepared me for what I saw.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a warning for everyone, the next chapter has some graphic content. Please be aware of the trigger warnings that this is tagged under, other than that I hope you enjoyed chapter 4!


	6. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning! There ARE triggers in this chapter. Please be aware of the tags this story is under before continuing reading. Besides that, I hope you like it(:

**Chapter Five: Levi’s POV-**

There have only been a few times in my life where I was horrified of something. The first time I was a teenager living on the streets, and I saw a drunk homeless man drop a piece of stale bread in fresh horse shit only to pick it up and eat it. I spent the rest of the day spilling my guts in an alley way.

            The second time was when I first saw a Titan eat someone. It had been back in my gang days and was the first time we decided to go outside and try to kill some. The first person to get eaten had been a younger member, barely fifteen, and between the sounds of his screams and the sounds of his bones breaking and flesh smashing together I had never heard something so bloodcurdling.

            Finally, the third time was eight years ago, when the Colossal Titan first appeared and smashed through the walls. Seeing him and seeing all the mutilated civilians after his attack had traumatized me, even if it didn’t seem like it. 

            It never did get any easier when I saw something horrible, but I always knew what to expect. Now, however, looking into the cavern, I knew I could never have expected this.

            On one side there was a large book shelf, the shelves littered with jars with different labels, syringes, and crystal pellet fragments, as well as what looks like pieces of bones. Quickly skimming over the labels, I saw some read Titan blood, crushed crystal pellets, fertilizer solution, and pellet coating. However, the many jars labeled “Eren’s Blood” really made my stomach turn, as well as all the jars placed next to them that also looked like blood, just with a silvery hint to it, that was labeled “Titan Serum”.

            Next to the book shelf was a handmade wooden table that was covered with things like axes, saws, embalming tools, pliers, knives, and coils of rope, all of which were rusted with old, dried blood. On the other side of the cave there was a desk, and an old rickety chair. The desk was covered in papers and pencils, as well as two journals much like the ones back at the hut, and above it was a shelf that held a variety of books; most of which were old science text books that focused on things such as botany and biology.

            The shape in the center of the cavern that I had thought resembled a coffin, however, was what really caused my blood to freeze. No, it wasn’t a coffin. It was much worse. It was a stone boulder that was fairly flat, obviously Grisha must have spent a lot of time smoothing the surface somehow, and managed quite well.

            Dry blood nearly coated the slab of stone, cascading down the sides and creating a large crimson stain on the ground. White scratch marks tore into the stone, obviously from someone desperately clawing at the surface, and a disturbingly large pile of skeletal limbs were cast in the far most corner of the cavern, filling the area with a putrid smell of decaying flesh. 

            My stomach lurched into my throat, and I swiftly yanked off my cravat and covered my nose and mouth with it to stop myself from gagging at the smell. I couldn’t even mask the horrified look in my eyes as they raked over the scene again and again, wanting desperately to look away, but being unable to at the same time.

 _“Who was Grisha Jaeger and what the fuck was he doing out here?!”_ I mentally screamed and I could feel my free hand shaking at my side. I felt like I just walked into a torture chamber straight out of a horror story and I was torn between emptying my stomach or grabbing Eren and getting our asses out of here.

            The thought, however, quickly snapped me out of it, and I turned, searching for the teenager. I didn’t know if he remembered what happened here or not, but I had a strong urge to protect him from those memories. I just wanted to grab him and drag him back to the hut and insist this was a mistake.

            However, when my eyes did land on him he was already walking forward, seemingly unfazed by the sight before him. Keeping his eyes hidden behind his bangs, he went straight towards the desk and started sorting through the papers, picking them all up and organizing them before carefully tucking them inside the two journals.

            Then, with the journals in hand, he strode over to the bookshelf and reached under the table, pulling out a burlap sack I hadn’t been able to see. He quickly but gently started placing two of each jar into the sack, however just as he was about to tie it shut, he stopped and added a few more jars of the “Titan Serum” and all the crystal pieces.

            “I think that should be enough for your friend Hanji to look at, and I don’t think the books on the shelf are important. We’ll have to go through all his papers though and these journals,” he suddenly said and lifted the hand he was holding the journals and papers in for emphasis. However, he didn’t make eye contact, and instead focused on tying the tassels of the bag tightly.

            “Right,” I stated firmly, my voice sounding a lot more calm than I actually felt. I could tell he didn’t want to talk about this place, and he was probably in an even bigger rush to leave than I was, so I quickly strode over to him and grabbed the bag, heaving it over my shoulder before turning on my heels. “Grab your lantern and let’s get the fuck out of here,” I muttered before stomping towards the entrance a little too hastily than I meant to.

            “O-okay,” Eren stuttered, and I heard him quickly trot to catch up with me. We walked in silence, my boots smacking against the ground and the jars clinking together loudly with every step I took. Eren stayed behind me, and even though I desperately wanted to turn around and check to make sure he was okay, I forced myself to face forward and keep walking.

            Being a part of the Scouting Legion, I have seen many soldiers struggle to keep calm when facing something that terrifies them, and that’s exactly what Eren was doing. Not only for my sake, but also his own, he was trying to control his emotions and not show any weakness, but I knew better. I knew he’d crack eventually, and if he didn’t want me to see, then I wouldn’t push myself on him. Sometimes the best way to comfort someone was to pretend you didn’t see them trying not to break. I made a silent promise to myself that I would only acknowledge it if he wanted me to.

            The entire walk back was met with silence besides our footsteps and the sound of crickets chirping happily in the forest. The sound reminded me of the Scouting Legion headquarters, and I briefly wondered what everyone was doing. It had been three days since I ordered Hanji to lead everyone to safety, and part of me was wondering if they were waiting for me to come back, or if they thought I was dead.

            When we did make it back to the hut, I had to remind myself to be gentle as I shoved the sack under the table alongside of my 3D maneuver gear. Then, before Eren even had the chance to get inside the hut, I rekindled the fire and took a seat on one of the stumps. He came in only a few seconds later, his expression slightly shocked as he took a seat next to me.

            “Give me those journals,” I said gruffly, and he blinked, but didn’t hesitate to hand them to me. “I’m going to try and read through these all tonight, but I think we should start heading to the Walls tomorrow morning. The longer I’m out here, the more they’re going to give up hope that I’m still alive, and we really need to get this information to them so we can use it in our next exhibition. Are you okay with this?” I asked carefully, and I expected him to panic; to insist he wasn’t ready to leave his childhood home.

            Instead, however, his eyes scanned the hut, memories flashing behind his irises before he turned to stare into the fire, and nodded his head. A sad smile crept onto his face as he watched the flames dance in front of him before turning back to look at me.

            “Yeah, that sounds like a good plan. Your friends are probably really worried about you. I can even dig up one of the plants and put it in a pot so Hanji can see it. There’s not really much I have to pack to take with me anyways besides my clothes,” he chuckled and I wrinkled my nose.

            “Hell no, you are  _not_  taking those grimy ass clothes with you. You’re only taking whatever you’re wearing and when we get back I’ll buy you new  _clean_  clothes,” I insisted and he blushed slightly before looking down at his shirt and muttering something like “are they really that dirty?”

            “They’re disgusting. Now I’d suggest packing whatever you want to bring with you now so you don’t forget anything,” I muttered, rolling my eyes, and turning towards the journals in my hand. I set all the loose paper on the floor next to me before opening the first journal and focusing my attention on the messy handwriting that was scribbled across the page.

_“Eren turns ten months old tomorrow. I believe I’ve waited long enough to start experimenting on him, and hopefully his immune system will be strong enough to handle the serum. To think, if this actually works I could create my very own army of Titan shifters to take back the world for humanity and prove everyone who doubted me wrong._

_The serum is simple. It is six parts Titan blood, three parts liquefied crystal pellets, two parts of the crystal coating, and one part water to keep the blood from evaporating. I plan to inject him with eight ounces every night until I see development. For now, I must go before Carla gets suspicious.”_

_“What the fuck?”_ I thought, cringing as I read through the short passage again. The fucker was injecting his  _ten month old son_  with Titan blood when he didn’t even know what the outcome would be? How insane was this man?

            Flipping through the next few pages, they were all small entries talking about the injections. It described how Eren would scream and cry hysterically as soon as the serum entered his body and wouldn’t stop for hours, which was why Grisha would only bring him to the cave at night. Many of his entries were small, and he didn’t write every night so I skipped ahead until I found a longer one.

_“            I believe it’s safe to start my experiments on Eren. I’ve been successfully injecting the serum into him every night for the past six years and I am growing impatient waiting for something to happen. Perhaps he’s already changed, just not as obviously as I would have liked. I suppose it’s for the best however, because if that’s the case then Carla should never find out about what I’ve been doing. I plan to bring Eren back to the cave after Carla falls asleep, until then I’m going to take him hunting._

_…_

_Carla took longer than usual to fall asleep tonight, but I was finally about to sneak away with Eren. Like always he was confused on why he was here, but I’m not worried. He always forgets about our nightly visits; a side-effect of the serum._

_Eren fought when I tied him to the stone, but I was able to secure him down and gag him to keep him from crying out. Though it’s not like Carla would be able to hear him anyhow, I’ve made sure of it. It really was amazing. I made the first laceration on his right thigh. I had to be careful not to cut too deeply, in the case he didn’t heal, but within ten minutes the cut was gone. It was outstanding. I made a few more lacerations on his arms legs and stomach, all a little deeper than the last, and just like the first they all healed within ten minutes of being inflicted. Tomorrow night I plan to test the limits of his regeneration abilities, and maybe then I can find out how to make him shift.”_

            My brow furrowed as I flipped the page, only to find it was the last one, so I swapped the journals and began reading where I left off. However, I had the sickening feeling Grisha was only just getting started.

            I had only read the first few sentences when I felt my stomach lurch for the second time that night. The entry explained in vivid detail how Grisha tied Eren to the rock again, despite his screams and cries for help, and once he was secure he gave him that night’s injection.

            It then continued to explain how he began his experiments like the day before, with shallow cuts on Eren’s arms, legs, stomach, and chest. Once those healed, however, he didn’t stop. He started cutting off Eren’s toes using the various instruments I saw on the table back in the cave. It described every scream of pain, and how Eren begged him to stop, begged for the pain to stop.

_“It only took half an hour for Eren’s toes to grow back. Just like a Titan, his flesh produced steam until the healing process was complete, and it left Eren breathless and exhausted. Once he calmed down, I used the saw to sever his right leg. Like before he started screaming and thrashing around, begging me to stop. His screams were bloodcurdling and he ripped his nails off by clawing at the surface of the stone so hard. His crying had actually gotten so loud I had to gag him because the volume was damaging my ears and causing the stalactite to start crumbling from the roof of the cave._

_“It took a while to cut through the bone since he was struggling so much, but by the time I managed to completely saw through and remove the limb he had completely given up and just laid there, crying quietly and starring at nothing. He didn’t even struggle when I started sawing off his arm and-”_

            I quickly turned the page, unable to read anymore as I ground my teeth together. The realization that the pile of decomposing arms and legs in the cave had all been Eren’s had me torn between pulling him into my arms to check and make sure he was whole and safe, and hunting down that bastard Grisha and making sure he experienced all the pain he put Eren through tenfold.

            However, pushing back the possessive need to protect him, I flipped through the rest of the journal only to find that each entry described more ways Grisha tortured Eren, and explained that this went on for years, probably until Eren transformed for the first time when he was ten.

            I clenched my fist angrily, wanting nothing more than to destroy Grisha Jaeger but instead I turned to Eren, who was currently loading wood onto the fire. His eyes looked like melted gold due to the glow of the flames, and I couldn’t imagine anyone ever wanting to hurt him. When he looked up, he smiled gently at me, however when he registered my furious expression, he immediately frowned and his brow knitted together in concern.

            “Levi is something wrong?” he asked innocently, sitting himself on the stump next to me. His kindness despite everything he’s been through only made me angrier, and I lifted the journal, holding it in a death grip, while his eyes widened and he quickly looked away, focusing on the fire once more.

            “Eren, do you remember the things your father did to you?” I nearly snarled and saw him flinch before bowing his head so his bangs covered his eyes. “Dammit, Eren, tell me! Do you remember what he did to you!” I asked again putting my hand on his shoulder and forcing him to turn towards me only to freeze when I saw tears streaming down his face, and his mouth set in a hard line.

            “Yeah…” he muttered, bowing his head once more and feebly wiping away at his tears with the sleeve of his shirt. “I don’t remember everything exactly, but I remember enough…” he whispered and I could hear the sorrow in his voice. All of my anger immediately disappeared somehow, and instead was replaced with immense concern and guilt for making him talk about it when I promised myself I wouldn’t unless he wanted to.

            Mentally cursing myself, I pulled away from him and ran my fingers through my hair, staring blankly at the fire. We sat in silence for a few minutes starring at the fire, and I absentmindedly started humming the tune Eren had been singing when I first woke up. In fact I didn’t notice until Eren turned and smiled at me.

            “I didn’t think you heard me sing that,” he chuckled, his eyes slowly starting to shine again while I forced back a light blush. “My mom use to sing that to me every night when she put me to bed. It’s a lullaby. It always calmed me down whenever I had nightmares,” he mused, and I was grateful he was remembering something pleasant.

            “What was your mother like?” he asked suddenly and I froze. I never talk about my mother or my family life in general. Even Hanji and Erwin didn’t know about it, but when I saw how our conversation was distracting him, I wanted to just go ahead and tell him. He already trusted me completely, even to the point of telling me all of his demons without second thought, and I wanted to trust him in return.

            However, that wasn’t just it. Another part of me just wanted him to know more about me. It sounded crazy, especially for someone who has a reputation for pushing others away like myself; but I wanted to have a close relationship with him. Something I never really cared for.

            “She was amazing,” I stated vaguely, turning back to look at the fire when his eyes softened. “She died when I was young, so I don’t really have that many memories of her, but I know she was beautiful and by far the kindest woman in the world. She always went out of her way to make people happy and take care of me,” I explained, and he smiled sadly.

            “How’d she die?” he muttered, and I knew immediately that he thought it had something to do with Titans eating her.

            “She got sick. A plague hit the Wall years ago and killed a lot of people. Some doctor was able to find a cure for it but it wasn’t until after it took a little over two hundred lives, including my mothers,” I told him, and he frowned, his brow furrowing in sympathy while I gave him a look saying it couldn’t be helped.

            “What about your dad?” He tried, and I frowned, my eyes narrowing at the topic. “Ah, s-sorry, never mind,” he stammered hastily, but I looked at him and shook my head.

            “No, it’s fine. I don’t know him. He walked out on my mother before I was born so we never met,” I stated dismissively and he pursed his lips together and nodded. “You’ll like Hanji and Erwin when you meet them. Hanji is bat shit crazy and Erwin has a permanent stick up his ass but they’re good people,” I blurted out, surprising both of us while his mouth fell open in confusion.

             “Wait, they what?” he exclaimed, his eyes widening and I realized he thought I was being literal and was genuinely concerned for their well-being.

             “Shit I forgot you’ve lived out here all your life. I mean she insane and he’s too professional about everything. I just said it a different way which you’ll have to get used to,” I explained, smirking at him.

             We stayed like that well into the night. Me rambling on about other members of the Scouting Legion, and Eren listening eagerly with wide bright eyes, occasionally asking questions or wondering about something I said. We only stopped when my jaw actually began to ache from talking so much, then we both crawled into the bed utterly exhausted and ready to end our night.


End file.
